Seeds of Growth
by NessaMoon
Summary: Flowers make people happy. That's what Naruto believed. To help a little girl, he gave her his bag of flower seeds, not realizing how that gift would affect her...and their future.  NaruHina AU


I don't think I've ever been so nervous about posting a fanfic before. Then again, this isn't the type of fanfic I've written before. I never thought I would ever write something like this, so the fact that I did, out of a little daydream I had, surprised me a great deal! I just hope that everyone else enjoys it. :( I'm worried about that.

This is an AU. Not just a timeline AU, either (timeline is different), but a complete, different world than what's in the manga. There are no ninja. In this fic, Naruto lives in a world of royalty. Kings and queens, princes and princesses, lords and knights. I've created this entire system myself.

Certain honorifics remain (-sensei, -chan, -kun) as I couldn't write without them, however, others (like -sama) I didn't use. They've been replaced with Your Royal Highness or Your Highness which you would see in a royal setting.

I guess…be extra nice this time. T_T I'm really scared about this one. T_T

**Title:** Seeds of Growth  
><strong>Genre:<strong> AU  
><strong>Timeline:<strong> Pre-Manga  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Flowers make people happy. That's what Naruto believed. To help a little girl, he gave her his bag of flower seeds, not realizing how that gift would affect her...and their future.  
><strong>Pairings:<strong> NaruHina  
><strong>Rating:<strong> G  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I own nothing of Naruto. Kishimoto is the creator and I make nothing off his creation. The plot, Yukina and Azami (OCs) are the only things I've created here.  
><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> This is an alternate world! No ninja!

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue – A Flower Exchange<strong>

The gardens of the Hyuuga Castle were dreary and boring. They resembled nothing like the gardens at the palace in Konoha. The plain and dull flowers, surrounded by neatly trimmed bushes, stood in rows, almost like lining a path for the young boy with spiky blond hair and three whisker marks on each cheek, all dressed up in a cloth orange tunic, dark blue vest and trousers.

His blue eyes took in the immaculate trees to his right, towering over his five-year-old form. In his hands, he clutched a bag of flower seeds his father had given him, the bag embroidered with flowers on top and a messy orange swirl he had painted onto the bag. _Why aren't there any flowers?_ he wondered, gazing back down at a perfectly circular purple mum, the dirt covered with stark-white pebbles. _How can something so pretty look so...not pretty?_

Naruto Uzumaki kept following the path the so-called flower garden set out for him to follow. His parents were at the castle due to the death of a friend of theirs. He had no idea who it was except that his mother had taken the news very hard. A memorial was set later in the afternoon with the funeral set for the following day for all the visiting dignitaries and friends. Afterward, the family would attend a private funeral.

All of that passed right over Naruto's head, of course. All he knew was that he had to sit still, stand when told and do everything quietly. This was the first funeral he had been to, so his teacher, Kakashi, had drilled the service and how he had to behave in his head.

Normally, he brushed off Kakashi's lessons, however... _This makes Mommy sad, so I need to be good for Mommy,_ thought Naruto as he continued his way down the path, half wishing the flowers could distract him.

He had no one to play with here; Sasuke said he had far more important things to do and the new family, the Haruno nobles, in the Uzushio Court refused to let their daughter even come near him. He had to entertain himself. The whole ordeal would be better if he could just see some flowers, actual colorful flowers in beautiful gardens like at Hokage Palace in Konoha.

Suddenly, Naruto stopped as a voice echoed from nearby. "Someone cried out..." he muttered, glancing around. His eyes settled on the edge of a hill far in front of him, sloping downward, away from where the path led. And just as he stepped toward it, he heard sobbing.

Shoving his seed bag into his back pocket, Naruto broke out into a run. Whatever was wrong, he should find out. Maybe he could help whoever was crying.

However, as he got to the edge, his foot tripped over a tree root and he tumbled downward, crying out, somersaulting over the grass and into a large mud puddle until he stopped, face first, right in the muck.

"Ugh..." He rolled over, groaning. Mud covered him from head to toe, his hair matted down from the sticky sludge, face caked with dirt and his clothes...already the voice of Iruka, his minder, shouting and bemoaning over the fact he had ruined his clothes, rang in his ears. Maybe if he were lucky, Kakashi would only sigh and not tell his parents...

Although, he figured they would not mind in the slightest!

"Wh – who are yo – you?"

Naruto glanced over to his left. Near the edge of the puddle, right in front of the distant Hyuuga castle, sat someone he figured was a girl completely covered in dark sludge. Her hair was dark, short and matted with mud, but her voice was higher than his. The girl wore what appeared to be a white, drenched in soil and ruined, dress and, as she brought her hand up to wipe the tears, smearing the grime coating on her face, he caught her white eyes and blinked. _Wow…pretty eyes!_

Getting to his knees, he crawled over to the girl. "Are you okay?" he asked, guessing she was the one crying earlier and forgetting her question. "How'd you get in the puddle? Are you hurt? You're not hurt, are you?" He grinned. "I'll help you if you need it! Just tell me what to do!"

The girl said nothing. She just stared at him in shock, but then she shook her head. "No…" she replied, softly. "I'm not hurt."

"Really? You're not?" he asked and, when she nodded, smiled. "Great!" He tilted his head to the side. "So how'd you fall into the puddle?" He pointed up to the tree root he tripped over. "Did you trip over a root, too?"

However, that question appeared to make the girl upset. She lowered her head and shivered, holding herself as she began to cry again. "No…I tripped…over my feet…"

Naruto felt confused, not understanding why the girl was sad. "Oh, so that's what happened? And you're crying because…" He tried to think of what a girl would cry about. _What would make Sakura-chan cry?_ "Because you messed up your dress?"

The girl shook her head. "No…" She sniffed and sobbed. "Well…not really…my teachers are going to yell at me for tripping and dirtying my dress and…and…" She pressed her grubby hands on her face and cried. "Everything!"

As the girl continued to sob, Naruto put his hand on her head, trying to reassure her. "It'll be okay," he said. "My minder and teacher might yell at me for getting muddy, too, but it'll be okay."

"No!" She shook her head again. "They always get mad at me. I never…I never ge – get anything right!"

Naruto took his hand away, his face scrunched up in anger. How could they be so harsh toward her? Even if Iruka disliked him, at least he tried to help, unlike his previous minder. And Kakashi; he was usually friendly, if somewhat confusing. In moments when both were angry with him, it never lasted longer than a few hours. By the next day, they usually treated him normally…well, as normal it got since he always caused trouble!

But these girl's teachers? They sounded far too harsh! And it was obviously hurting her. So why would they do that? "You should tell your mommy and daddy," suggested Naruto. "I had a minder once who was mean to me and I told my mommy about it and she got angry!" He raised his arms up wide and made a scary face, trying to resemble his mother as she yelled at the woman who had mistreated him. "She got rid of her and I got another minder! Still yells at me, but not so bad!"

Smiling, Naruto thought that would solve everything. His parents always solved his problems; however, the girl seemed to be crying even more. As he frowned, she shook her head. "I can't! Can't tell Mommy! And Father…he's strict, too." She sniffed and rubbed her hand over her eyes. "He's never very strict, but I don't think he'll help me at all." Again, she shook her head. "Not at all!"

_So no one can help her?_ thought Naruto, sadly. He could not imagine not having his parents to help him with anything. The girl was so unhappy, sitting there, still crying as he knelt next to her. _We can't solve anything if she's unhappy._ But what could he do to make her feel better?

Naruto sat back into the mud, trying to think. He could give her something, but the only thing he had on hand was his bag of flower seeds. _Girls like flowers, right? So if I give her the flower seeds, she'll be happy! _

Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out the flower seed bag, now covered in mud. Still, he held it out with a huge grin on his face. "Here! You can have these!"

The girl raised her head, still sniffling and eyes filled with tears, but as she caught sight of the bag, curiosity filled them instead. "Wha – what is it?" she asked, as she took the gift.

"Flower seeds!" chimed Naruto, cheerfully. "You can make a pretty garden with them!"

She just stared at them, the curiosity changing into wonder as she turned the bag, gazing at it from all angles. "They're for me?" she questioned in a hushed voice. Naruto nodded and the girl held them closer to her chest. "Thank you… Umm I need to get something for you."

As the girl made her way out of the mud puddle, Naruto stared at her curiously now. "Uh-uh! You don't have to get me anything!" He crawled out of the puddle as well and followed, but then he stopped, staring at a scene that had escaped him as he had focused on the girl and faced the castle.

He was in a garden! A bright and colorful garden! "Wow!" he breathed. "Really pretty!" So tucked away behind the stone estate, he briefly considered if this garden was a secret place no one should have known about! Tan, white and gray rocks or even wood surrounded patches of dirt in three rows. Colorful flowers covered every inch of the space within; daisies, roses, pansies, lilies and flowers he did not know the names of yet grew in all colors! "You have a pretty garden!" he shouted.

The girl dragged a cloth bag with her, mud dripping from her dress, hair and chin, as she smiled sadly. "It was my mommy's garden," she said.

Tilting his head to the side as he pondered her statement, she sat down on the ground and pulled out an odd-looking device that had a white pansy painted on top. _This is her mommy's garden? She must be a nice person, so why did she sound so sad? _

He decided not to ask, since she had reacted so badly when he had mentioned her mother before. Instead, he watched as the girl took a daisy and cut off the bloom. Naruto was about to protest; how could she cut off a flower like that or even pull out a flower from the garden…but stopped as she put the blossom in between the wood in the device she had pulled out. Then she tightened it up, took a see-through envelope and put it on top of the device. "Here," she said as she stood up and held it out. "It's a pressed flower."

"A what?"

"A pressed flower," she repeated. "In about five days, you can undo the press and put the flower in this." She pointed at the envelope. "The flower will stay like that forever, then. But the flower has to be dry and flat, so if it's not, keep it pressed until it is."

Naruto took the device, staring at it. "Keep a flower forever?" He had never thought of that before. Personally, he rather enjoyed the idea of growing and keeping the flowers healthy all the time. This idea, however, sounded nice, too, so he grinned and said, "Thanks!"

The girl returned his smile. She looked much happier now. Despite she remained covered in mud, her white eyes sparkled with cheer and her face shone even caked with muck. And even knowing he, too, was covered in mud from head to toe, too, he felt happy for making her smile like that.

_It's just like Daddy said! Flowers make people happy! _

"My lady!" A voice called out from behind Naruto. "My lady! Are you out here?"

"Oh!" The girl's hands quickly covered her mouth. "It's Koh-san! You've got to go! Before he catches you!"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah! Thanks!" he said, quickly. Hoping no one would notice his muddy footprints, he raced by the girl and around the puddle, climbing back up the hill and into the trees so Koh would not see him. When there was some distance between him and the girl, he thought he heard someone crying out...a man's voice...not in a friendly manner.

The advice of the girl flew out of his mind and he turned, intent on going back there and yelling at the man...Koh...for not being nice to the girl, but before he could even take a step back in that direction, a hand stopped him.

"Your Royal Highness?"

_Oh, no!_ Naruto turned, following the hand up to a face with a scar across the nose and brown hair pulled up in a short ponytail. The man, dressed in a dark blue cloth tunic and trousers and a green vest, gazed upon him in incredibility. "Prince Naruto? I barely recognize you! How did you get so filthy?"

Instead of answering the question, Naruto chose to try to get loose. "Iruka-sensei! Got to let me go! I need to help her!"

Iruka blinked. "Help her? Help who?" He looked around. "I don't see anyone nearby." Before Naruto could open his mouth to point him in the right direction, his minder began pulling him back down the path. "In any case, the memorial is coming up in the next two hours and you are completely unfit to be seen. You need a bath and a change of clothes." He sighed, ignoring Naruto's protests and attempts to get away. "Honestly, Your Royal Highness, you are a Prince of one of the Non-Elemental Countries, the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Uzushio." He gazed back, frowning. "You have a lot of responsibilities, even as a five year old."

But Naruto did not care about any of that. All he cared about was the girl and he kept trying to get away until Iruka brought him into the large cottage where he was staying. Once there, Kakashi found them and, as he predicted, his teacher sighed, put his hand on his face and aimed both to the bathing area. It was only then Naruto gave up, knowing even if he returned, she was likely already gone.

_oOo_oOo_

"My Lady? Princess Hinata!"

Hinata stopped moving and bowed her head as Koh, a brown haired man, wearing blue silk trousers and tunic with a long dark green vest, rushed over to her, his face blazing with worry. She had run around to obscure the fact there had been two sets of footprints. The man knelt next to her, keeping his hands away as he looked her over. "How did this happen, Your Highness?"

Still holding the bag of flower seeds close, she pointed over to the mud puddle. "I fell..." she said, simply. Hinata hoped he would not ask an explanation. She had wanted to get away; too upset to attend the memorial service, but the boy's footsteps ended up frightening her and made her trip.

Her minder glanced over to it. "Oh, that's where the new flowerbed would have been...the rain last night must have..." He shook his head, as if he did not wish to go into it more. Instead, he took Hinata's hand, careful not to get mud on his hands, and pulled her to the castle. "Let's get you to your room and cleaned up. The memorial is in two hours and if anyone catches you..."

He stopped, his eyes wide as he stared at the door. Hinata began to tremble, held her seed bag closer, half hoping the gift would protect her, as her eyes laid upon the figure in the doorway. Koh quickly bowed. "Princess Azami! Your Highness!"

A woman of thirty years, dressed in a long green gown, dark brown, fuzzy, hair pulled back in a bun, her cold, stony face burning and white eyes flashing in anger, glared at Hinata, body shaking in fury. "What is the meaning of this? Is that Princess Hinata under all that disgusting filth?"

Hinata wanted to say something, but the words died in her mouth. She clung to Koh's hand and to her flower seeds, hoping Azami would go away, as he responded positively.

This princess terrified her. As a member of the Royal House and council, she wielded much power and authority. Once, Hinata overheard her parents talking, Hiashi reluctant to go up against Azami. _ "Her family has always been influential,_ she heard him say. _ "I don't know if I can constantly protect you from her or her allies, Yukina. Tread carefully, if you challenge her._

Quite often, her mother sent Hinata to hide in the garden whenever the princess came around. Azami considered it her duty to make sure the heir grew with proper Hyuuga values…values Yukina disagreed with.

But Hinata had no one to protect her now…

Azami's eyes narrowed, as she grew even angrier. "This child is a disgrace!" she spat out. "Take her to her room, Lord Koh, at once! She will not be attending the memorial. I will not have the heir to the Hyuuga throne be shown in this...filth...with all the Grand Princes and Princesses of the sub-kingdoms, dignitaries and even the High King Regent of Konoha in attendance!" Hinata felt tears in her eyes as Azami turned away. "Is that clear, Lord Koh?"

Her minder nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."

"I will also inform Grand Prince Hiashi of this as well." Shaking her head, she started down the hall. "A garden! What was he thinking when he allowed her to have such a thing! Destroyed immediately, that's what should be done! A Hyuuga has no need for such fanciful whims!"

_No! Mommy's garden!_ Hinata felt the tears slide down her face. She did not want the garden destroyed; one of the last things she had left of her mother.

Koh brought her into the castle, turning in the other direction toward Hinata's room. "Come, Princess Hinata. Let us get you cleaned up."

She nodded, feeling miserable for Azami's yelling at her. She desperately hoped Koh would not find the flower seed bag she kept clutching close to her heart. No matter what happened, she wanted to keep it.

Suddenly, the boy appeared in her head, his dirty appearance, his bright blue eyes and the flash of yellow of his hair she saw when he tumbled down and, most of all, his smiling, muddy, face, one that, somehow, promised hope and light in the darkness that had become her life, especially now since her mother died.

_He tried to help me...he wanted to help me...no one's ever tried to help me before, except for Mommy. _ Despite that she was in trouble with the council, she smiled, the boy giving her a warm feeling that filled her body with optimism.

For the first time since her mother died, Hinata felt like things would get better. All she had to do was to keep trying. And she would always have a reminder of that, her bag of flower seeds, a symbol of her first feeling of hope and the boy who had been so nice to her.

_oOo_oOo_

Naruto decided that being five-years-old was a major disadvantage when it came to looking for someone.

He had spent the majority of the memorial trying to look for the girl in attendance. However, he realized that, other than her short, dark hair and white eyes, he had no idea what she looked like due to the mud. He tried searching the section where the Hyuuga Nobles sat, but had little luck. That Koh person had called the girl a Lady, so that meant she was a noble, however, the children he managed to glimpse were much older than him. He just was not tall enough to see everyone in the area.

Kakashi also put an end to his search; reminding him to sit still during the service, not fidget about.

During the funeral the next day, he had ignored the Hyuuga Royal Family, since he was not looking for a princess, but a noble, however, he had no view of the Hyuuga Aristocrats at all. As his mother had been a close friend of the Grand Princess, his family sat near to the front this time. Located behind them were the nobles and anyone else not of a close relation to her. The only way Naruto would see them was if he sat on his father's shoulders... something certainly not allowed!

So Naruto resigned himself to never seeing the girl again. He spent the funeral trying to stay still and kept his head down. Kakashi's praise at his attentiveness this time became the only positive part of the ordeal...but even that failed to cheer him up, he felt so disappointed.

_I wonder if she saw me?_ Naruto frowned, unsure of that, given what Kakashi had told him. _Kashi-sensei says they don't announce people at memorials or funerals, but maybe... I bet she did see me! Even if I'm short, no one can miss me! Maybe…_

He stared outside the window to his room, a sad expression on his face. From it, all he could see was the line of trees where he had been. The hidden garden remained out of his line of sight.

"I hope she's okay," he muttered. He clutched the device she gave him. "I can help her, I know I can!"

A knock on his door barely registered in his mind. "Naruto?" said a voice as the door creaked open. "Are you ready to leave?"

Finally, he turned around. In the doorway, a spiky, blond haired man stood, wearing a white silk tunic with a blue stripe across the middle, a trim on the sleeves and light blue trousers; his blue eyes widening as he caught sight of Naruto. A green badge emblazed with a frog on his right side, he frowned and made his way over to the boy. "Naruto? Are you all right? Is something wrong?"

Naruto held the device tighter, scrunching up his eyes. "Daddy!" he exclaimed and out came the whole story. He told Minato about tripping and falling into the mud, the girl he had found drenched in the same way, how upset she had been and he had given her the flower seeds he gave him and how he had to run off when someone was coming.

Once he was done, he stared up at his father with pleading eyes. "Please, Daddy! We have to find her! We have to help her!"

However, his father gazed upon him sadly and walked over to the bed. He patted the spot next to him, which Naruto quickly climbed up and stared up at him, waiting for an answer. "I'm sorry, son. I don't think there's much we can do."

Surprise filtered Naruto's face before anger filled it. "No!" He shook his head frantically. "No! I don't want that! I want to help her! Help her!"

A hand on his hand stopped his shaking. "It's not that easy, Naruto," explained his father, sighing. "The Hyuuga Royal Family is notorious for being very strict and uptight. I doubt they would like it if another family were to involve itself in their matters, be they an allied sub-kingdom, a prominent ally like us or even the Kingdom of Konoha."

Naruto put down the device in his hand and pulled on his father's tunic. "But you're friends with the prince, right?" he asked, referring to Grand Prince Hiashi. "You can talk to him! Tell him a noble's not treating his kid right!"

Again, his father sighed, a defeated expression worming its way to his face. "I wish it were that simple. Hiashi has changed so much over the years and I think Yukina's death has made him worse. And even if he were to listen, I doubt it would change much." Naruto stopped pulling on his father's sleeve, crumbling at the sad tone in his father's voice. "The council of the Hyuuga Household wields a great deal of power. They even once overrode Hiashi and the High King of Konoha on a sensitive matter not too long ago."

Tears filled his eyes and Naruto struggled to keep them in. He could not believe there was no way to help. He would not believe it! "Daddy..."

"But you know what?" started Minato, a warm smile appearing on his face. "I think your friend will be okay. Yes, the Hyuuga Family is strict, but I think if Yukina could survive being married in the Household, then I believe your friend will be okay growing up in the same place."

Naruto stared up at his father. "You promise? You really think she'll be okay?"

"I really think that." He chuckled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Besides, the way it sounds, you made quite the impression on her. Sometimes, all that's needed in life is to touch someone's heart just the right way. That one touch could mean a world of difference and be able to change a person for the better."

Picking up the device the girl had given him, Naruto looked at it, fingering the wood and the painted white pansy. Had he truly done all he could do? Had he helped that girl after all? Was his father right? "You gave that little girl some hope when she had none," continued Minato. "Perhaps that's all she needed. And for you, you need to trust that she will be okay. A leader always has to trust the people they help will be all right after they've done all they can, especially if there's nothing else they can do."

_A leader has to trust..._ Naruto frowned, his eyes still on the flower device. The daisy the girl had put in there remained; five days had not passed yet. He wanted so much to be a great leader like his parents. His mother was a great leader, the Queen of Uzushio. His father was a great leader and he really did not have to do anything! _If Daddy thinks it'll be okay... And I bet she saw me, so I'll see her again…some day!_

Naruto glanced up at his father and broke out into a huge smile. "Thanks, Daddy!"

Minato ruffled his hair again. "Not a problem! Now, let's get ready to go home, all right?"

"Right!" The two slid off the bed and Minato started out the door. Naruto, however, gazed at the window, thinking about the girl. Then an eager grin overtook his face as he rushed over to the window and climbed up to stick his head out.

"Naruto! What are you doing? Don't do that! You'll fall out the window!"

His father dashed over to his location and grabbed him just as he took a deep breath. "Hey!" he shouted out. "Don't forget! Keep hoping, okay? And don't you ever give up! It'll all be okay if you don't give up!"

He looked back at his father with a giant grin. "You think she heard me?" he asked.

Minato just shook his head and smiled. "Yeah, I think she heard you. I really believe she heard you, Naruto."

_oOo_oOo_

Hinata lay on her bed, crying into her pillow. She would never see her mother again. Despite having known that for a while since she had died, the burial today made it far more real and official. It hurt, that feeling, of knowing that whenever she felt bad, she could never go and find her mother, feel her arms as she gave her a hug, and hear the whispers of reassurance in her ear.

Even just thinking that made Hinata sob more, not caring if Azami or another council member heard her. _Mommy's gone! Mommy's gone! I don't want my Mommy gone! _

"Hey!"

The voice was distant...so far away, but she heard it all the same. Lifting her head up, she wiped away the tears with the black sleeves of her dress and rushed over to the window.

"Don't forget! Keep hoping, okay?"

A smile broke out on Hinata's face. The voice echoed and was faint, but she knew that voice. The voice of her hopes...the voice of that boy who gave her the flower seeds. She had wanted to find him at the funeral; however, since she sat in the very front, it made viewing the guests difficult unless she was obvious about it. She also soon realized she knew nothing of what the boy really looked like, other than his blue eyes and what looked like blond hair as he fell.

After the events from the day before, she felt Princess Azami's eyes on her, daring her to misbehave almost. Of course, Hinata quickly became distraught over the proceedings for her mother and all thoughts of looking for the boy left her mind.

But now...she felt the sad feelings fade away, replaced with optimism and eagerness. _He probably saw me yesterday and knows who I am, _she thought, positively. _I was in the very front, so he has to know._ She wanted to lean out the window and shout back, tell him she still remembered...and still had the flower seeds.

"And don't you ever give up! It'll all be okay if you don't give up!"

However, just as she started to climb up her chair, she paused. Hinata glanced back at the door. _Koh-san might hear...or Princess Azami... _ She doubted either would be happy with what had to be the unlady-like behavior of shouting out of a window.

Feeling disappointed, she got off the chair. Instead, she reached over to her bookcase and opened her memory box. When Koh had left her room the other day to fetch her bathing attendants, Hinata stashed the bag in the box to hide. Later, when she was alone, she cleaned the mud off. The light brown bag of seeds, embroidered flowers sewn at the top with an orange painted swirl, was now clean.

She clutched it near her heart. Contact with the bag made her feel closer to the boy and that caused a warm feeling to fill her. _I promise...I won't lose hope. I won't give up and I won't forget. Thank you...for everything! _

Despite the fact she could not yell out her window, she hoped the boy understood her feelings. And never forget her, either. "I hope..." she said, quietly, "we meet again one day."

* * *

><p>And there we go! :) Please tell me you like it! T_T I am so nervous about this. I know this isn't something everyone likes (honestly, I'm one of them, I never thought I would be writing this!). I just hope you liked it!<p>

While writing this, I kept wondering how come I didn't create Azami for Complicated Ceremonies. She would have been a good villain for it. But then I remember how long that fic was and decide it was for the best I didn't think of her then! XD

Okay, now there is more to this, however, I'm in the process of reworking the chapters some. I'm not sure how long that'll take. Right now, I'm in one of my moods where I hate everything I write and everything I read ends up sounding awkward. Not a good place. Hopefully, I can work it out and I'll post the next chapter soon. If not, well, I guess this will stand-alone.

Thanks for reading! - NessaMoon


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